Boxing Ledger's Archives

Saturday, April 23, 2011

In the main event of ESPN's Friday Night Fights from the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT, Breidis Prescott (24-2, 19 KOs) won a near shutout unanimous decision over a game Bayan Jargal (15-2-3, 9 KOs). Prescott worked his jab and landed the better power punches throughout the fight. Jargal had no answer to Prescott's movement and hand speed. All three judges scored the bout for Prescott by scores of 99-91, 99-90, and 100-90. The five bout fight card was promoted by Joe DeGuardia's Star Boxing.

Undefeated junior middleweight Demetrius "The Hammer" Andrade landed a solid left to the body of his opponent Omar Bell (8-2, 5 KOs) which sent him to the canvas in the middle of round two. Bell, although up on one knee, was unable to answer the ten count of referee Dick Flaherty. Andrade with the knockout improves to (13-0, 9 KOs), while Bell suffers only the second loss of his professional career.

Junior middleweight Kevin Rooney (1-0), who is known amongst boxing circles as the publicist for Joe DeGuardia's Star Boxing, made his professional debut a successful one as he dropped Philadelphia's Terrell Nelson (0-3) twice in the fight, once in the first round and once in the second round both with left hands. In the end, Rooney scored a four round unanimous decision win over Nelson by scores of 40-34 on all three cards.

Unbeaten heavyweight Joe Hanks knocked down his opponent once in the second round as he controlled the tempo of the bout against Terrell Nelson. Hanks landed hooks and kept Nelson on the defensive as he used his size and reach advantage to out land Nelson at every chance he could get. Hanks had Nelson in trouble several times during the bout. Nelson was unable to continue the fight after four rounds, which gave Hanks the TKO victory.

Burlington, VT's Kevin Cobbs (1-0, 1 KO) scored the first knockout of his professional career in his very first pro fight. Cobbs knocked the previously unbeaten Nicholas Lavin (2-1, 2 KOs) twice in the first round, with the second knockdown being his last of the fight. Referee Steve Smoger after the second knockdown immediately stopped the bout giving Cobbs the first round TKO victory at 1:30.

Fight results reported by Scott Ploof and Billy "Loops" Luppert as Kevin Rooney Jr. the publicist for Star Boxing, was a little busy making his pro debut.

Friday, April 22, 2011

The ultimate setting for boxing fans is indisputably the “Rubber Match”. Legendary fighters such as, “Robinson” vs. “LaMotta”, “Ali” vs. “Frazier”, “Duran” vs. “Leonard”, and “Tarver” vs. “Jones” have carried the tie-breaking burden into the ring while fans sense personal bragging rights are all on the line.

*Boxing enthusiast get ready on June 4th, 2011 for another historical boxing trilogy!

Albuquerque, New Mexico - Team Tapia Boxing and Promotions, an Albuquerque, New Mexico based boxing organization, is set to host its first professional boxing event of 2011 with Johnny Tapia vs. Frankie Archuleta III. Tapia vs. Archuleta III is stacked with coercive match-ups and features a trilogy as its Main Event.

Team Tapia Boxing and Promotions event, accordingly named “Tapia/Archuleta III”, is a professional boxing event that will take place on Saturday June 4th, 2011 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Albuquerque, NM. The card includes six pro fights with amateur openers, Two successful Albuquerque boxers will be on the under card: Josh “Pitbull” Torres (5-1-1, 3 KOs) and Hector Munoz (18-4-1, 11 KOs) are scheduled to compete.

According to Teresa Tapia, co-founder of Team Tapia Boxing and Promotions, “We are extremely excited to host the trilogy fight between Johnny and Frankie and what could be Johnny’s last boxing bout in what is and was an illustrious career inside the squared circle.”

Tickets for “Tapia/Archuleta III” are available now and start at $25 with ringside tickets for $200. To purchase event tickets go to the Hard Rock-Albuquerque Casino box-office or you can go online and purchase by logging on to www.HardRockAbq.com , www.HoldMyTicket.com or www.SalMora.com.

*Hard Rock Hotel and Casino is located at 11000 Broadway Southeast, Albuquerque, NM.

*Watch this Live Event worldwide on GFL iPPV at www.gfl.tv, all Mobile Devices or now on Roku!!

***GFL is a pioneer in Internet Sports Broadcasting. Over the years GFL has broadcast more than 950 live events with over 5,000 combat sports videos in 190 countries. GFL is especially proud to have served greater than 1.8 million public viewers last year with now over 150 combat sports related website affiliates in its network. GFL combat sports genres currently include Boxing, MMA and Professional Wrestling with plans to add more fight categories in 2011. GFL offers expanded programming to include: Daily News & Radio Shows with feature interviews and industry updates along with great Fight Photos, Fighter Videos and a robust Calendar of Upcoming Fight Events.

The main event features the much anticipated 10 round junior middleweight bout between Joel Julio of Monteria, Columbia (36-4, 31KOs) and Antwone Smith, of Miami Fl, (20-2-1, 12KOs). The Main Events Brick City Boxing Series card will take place in the intimate boxing club environment of Prudential Center's AmeriHealth Pavilion, in Newark, New Jersey.

Local fighter favorites to be featured on the undercard include: Sadam "World Kid' Ali of Brooklyn, NY, 12-0, 7 KO's, who is scheduled to take on John Revish of Baton Rouge, LA 9-3-2, 8 KO's; Jose "Mangu" Peralta of Jersey City 6-1, 4 KO's; crowd-pleasing Vinny O'Brien of East Hanover, 2-0, 2KO's; Newark favorite, Angel Concepcion, 4-0; and Tyrone Luckey of Middletown, NJ, 3-0,3 KO's.

Tickets are on sale now, $100 for ringside and reserved floor seats, $60 general admission bleachers and $30 general admission standing. Tickets available online at www.ticketmaster.com, Charge-by-phone: 1-800-745-3000, Ticketmaster Express 866-448-7849 and Ticketmaster ticket centers. Tickets are also available at Prudential Center's Box Office and www.prucenter.com.

The fight is promoted by Main Events in association with DiBella Entertainment and will be broadcast on ESPN2.

LOS ANGELES (April 22, 2011) – Prior to leaving for his Big Bear training camp in final preparation for his April 29th showdown against Jesse Brinkley, undefeated prospect Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin used a Vortex machine at his strength-and-conditioning coach Brad Bose’s Anatomy gym in Santa Monica in order to increase his arm strength and power punching.

The 27-year-old Quillin (23-0, 17 KOs), born in Chicago and raised in Grand Rapids (MI), moved a year ago from Brooklyn to LA, where he hooked-up with Roach and started training at his famed Wild Card Gym, in addition to signing an exclusive promotional contract with Golden Boy Promotions.

“Kid Chocolate” headlines an April 29 show against former world title challenger Brinkley (35-6, 22 KOs) in Reno, Nevada, airing on Telefutura in a 10-round bout for the vacant USBO super middleweight title.

The Vortex, according to Bose (www.bosemangement.com), is an intimidating machine to look at, about 6-feet wide and 4 to 5 feet deep. Bose trains a lot of celebrities at his gym, some on The Vortex, including Robert Downing, Jr. for the movie, Ironman, as well as many mixed-martial-arts fighters. Boxers from the Wild Card like Quillin have started taking advantages of this functional training machine.

“The Vortex is unique in that it helps train athletes in more of a sports specific way,” Bose explained. “A lot of training in boxing is kind of old fashioned. The machine can be weighed down with 30 pounds for boxers who throw 1600 to 1800 punches within a five to 12 minute span. It increases their punching strength and speed, as well as get them ready for the later rounds, when a boxer’s arms are fatigued and they can barely hold them up.

“’Kid’ worked on it for six weeks before going to train in high altitude, where this training will also help his body recover faster. I saw quite a difference in him from the first day when he started with 15 pounds on his arms. After six weeks he made it up to 45 pounds for each arm, throwing 200 punches without a rest. A fighter may average 600 punches thrown in a fight. Training on this machine they have 45 pounds for each arm, throwing 200 punches in two minutes, for 20 minutes without resting. Throwing punches in the ring is no big deal because their arms won’t get tired.”

“The Vortex is like a torture machine,” Quillin remarked. “Brad had me throwing 1200 punches with 30-pound weights. I noticed a big difference. I really feel stronger. I’m up at Big Bear now to get used to the altitude for the fight in Reno. Freddie’s my trainer but he’s with Manny (Pacquaio), so I’m working with his assistant, Eric Brown. I work a lot with him and Freddie still oversees everything.”

Brinkley, who is coming off a ninth-round knockout last October in an IBF super middleweight title fight against champion Lucian Bute, will be fighting Quillin at home in Reno. The 34-year-old Brinkley is, perhaps, best known as a participant in the The Contender, Season One reality television show. His most notable victories have been against Otis Griffin, Curtis Stevens, and Joey Gilbert.

“This is the biggest fight of my life,” the personable Quillin remarked. “Brinkley’s coming off his world title fight against Bute and I wanted to find-out how I’d do against Jesse Brinkley. He’s strong, tough and always comes to fight. I want to campaign as a middleweight but walk around between fights weighing like a super middleweight. I took this fight because I couldn’t say no to my first title fight.

“I’m as sharp as a razor. He’s going to have to watch-out for me punching from every angle. I can hurt him with punches to the head or body. Once he punches, I’ll counter-punch. Boxing is a lot like poker, spades or dominos – it can fall either way. I’ll be trying to knockout Jesse Brinkley, but anything can happen, so I’m training to just win and prove that I belong at the elite level.”

For more information about Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin go online to www.TheKidChocolate.com or follow him on Twitter @/Kid Chocolate.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

PRELUDE TO SATURDAY NIGHT’S REMATCH THAT WILL BE FOR THE USBA CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE LIVE ONWWW.GFL.TV

NEW YORK / ATLANTIC CITY (April 21, 2011)—It was one of the better action fights of 2010 and this Saturday night Omar Shieka and Garrett Wilson re-acquaint each other after their four round war that thrilled the fans on March 26th, 2010 in Hamilton, New Jersey.

In that fight it was Wilson who dominated the former four-time world title challenger over the first two plus rounds as he scored at will. Wilson’s confidence rose to the point where he was playing to the crowd and that cost him as he got caught in round four and eventually stopped.

Now they meet again this Saturday night at Caesars in Atlantic City but this time a lot is on the line as the USBA Cruiserweight title and world ranking’s will be on the line.

To get fans ready for this much anticipated rematch, the first fight will be replayed FREE of charge to the viewers of www.gfl.tv beginning at 8pm est Thursday and the fight will be available through Saturday afternoon.

MIAMI (April 21, 2011) – Richie Boy Promotions filed a lawsuit this past Tuesday (April 19, 2011) in the 11th District Judicial Circuit Court in Miami against International Boxing Federation Light Heavyweight Champion Tavoris Cloud, as well as his promoter, Don King Productions, and head trainer, Al Bonanni.

Richie Boy Promotions acquired contractual rights for Cloud from his original promoter, 8 Count Productions, in February, 2009 and then soon hired Bonanni, who had previously worked for Don King Productions (“DKP”), to run its boxing business and serve as Cloud’s head trainer. Cloud captured the IBF light heavyweight title on August 28, 2009 via a unanimous 12-round decision against Clinton Woods in a bout promoted by Richie Boy.

As Cloud’s promoter, Richie Boy Promotions negotiated and entered into an agreement for Cloud’s first title defense against mandatory challenger Glen Johnson, which was scheduled to take place April 10, 2010. During this negotiation period, however, Richie Boy Promotions terminated Bonanni, who then introduced Cloud to his former employer, Don King. DKP signed Cloud to another promotional contract despite knowing about Cloud’s exclusive promotional contract with Richie Boy Promotions.

Richie Boy alleges that Cloud breached his contract with Richie Boy Promotions by entering into another promotional contract with DKP as well as participating in his August 7, 2010 title fight against Johnson, which Cloud won via 12-round unanimous decision. Cloud (22-0, 18 KOs) defeated Fulgencio Zuniga by 12-round decision last December, and he now has a mandatory defense pending against IBF #1 contender Yusaf Mack.

Complaints filed in the aforementioned lawsuit by Richie Boy Promotions against the three defendants include Breach of Contract (Cloud), Unjust Enrichment (DKP), Tortious Interference with Contract (DKP and Bonanni), Tortious Interference with Business Relationships (DKP and Bonanni, Fraudulent Misrepresentation (Bonanni), and Breach of Fudicuary Duty (Bonanni).

Richie Boy Promotions has demanded a jury trial and judgment for monetary damages, and awarding such other and further relief as the Court deems just and proper.

NEW YORK (April 21, 2011) – Veteran boxing promoter Cedric Kushner, President of New York City-based Gotham Boxing, is recovering from spinal surgery yesterday that took nearly seven hours. He is resting comfortably at Mt. Sinai Hospital (room 315), located at Madison and 100th St., in New York City. He is expected to be there for a few days and then be transferred to another facility for physical rehabilitation.

Kushner, a former rock promoter, has been involved in boxing for the past 30 years. His company has promoted more than 30 world champions and presented more than 300 world title fights in North America, Europe, Asia, South America, Australia and Africa.

NEW YORK (April 21, 2011) – World Boxing Council No. 3 rated super bantamweight Leon “Hurry Up” Moore is ready for his first world title shot and he’s willing to travel from his new home in New York City to Japan if that’s what it takes to challenge WBC champion Toshiaki Nishioka.

The 32-year-old southpaw Moore (28-2, 22 KOs), a native of Guyana, is the reigning PABA and WBC CABOFE super bantamweight champion, as well as the former NABA, Guyanese and CABOFE bantamweight titlist. He moved to the Big Apple earlier this year after signing a promotional contract with New York City-based Boxing 360.

“Nishioka has been a great world champion who has given top challengers their title shots for the past few years,” Moore said. “But now it’s my time and I’m ready to challenge him right in his home country. I’ve heard that his promoter (Honda) wants to make his next fight in Las Vegas. Hey, I’ll fight him in Japan, Las Vegas, New York or on a cruise ship in the Pacific Ocean. Whatever it takes, I’m willing and able to fight him for his belt. My nickname is ‘Hurry Up’ and that’s how I feel about my title shot. Let’s make it happen, Toshiaki.”

Nishioka (38-4-3, 24 KOs) captured the WBC crown back in 2008, when he won a 12-round decision against Napapol Sor Rungvisia. The Japanese warrior has successfully defended his title belt six times against Gernaro Garcia, Jhonny Gonzalez, Ivan Hernandez, Balweg Bangoyan, Rendall Munroe and earlier this month versus Mauricio Javier Munoz.

Moore is riding a 10-fight, four-year win streak including a unanimous 12-round decision against former two-time world champion Maurico Pastrana for the WBC CABOFE and NABA bantamweight belts in September 2009, as well as a unanimous 12-round decision versus Indonesia Boxing Association champion Marangin Marbun for the vacant PABA crown in January 2010. His last action was a win by six-round decision in a stay-busy fight this past April 2 in Brooklyn against veteran Felipe Almanza, marking Moore’s U.S. debut.

“We’re looking forward to watching them in action under the Boxing 360 banner,” Boxing 360 CEO & Founder Mario Yagobi said,”We want to thank promoter Juan Santiago (Don Juan Fighting Promotions) for putting our fighters on his card. Nick is fighting close to his home in Buffalo and everybody’s anxious to see him back in the ring after a long absence. It wasn’t easy finding a suitable opponent for Nick because he’s so talented. Nick had some personal issues in the past but he’s fully focused now on his boxing career. He’s only 25 years old but experienced having had 26 pro fights.

“I wasn’t sure about getting involved in female boxing until I saw Amanda’s last fight live from ringside. She’s unbelievably impressive in and out of the ring. All Amanda does is train to fight, everyday to the point of exhaustion, then she goes home to sleep, and starts all over again the next day at the gym. Amanda is a world champion in the making and this fight will help position her for that opportunity.”

Casal (29-4-1, 15 KOs), who was a highly decorated U.S. amateur, returns to the ring for the first time since November 6, 2009, when he won an eight-round decision against Christopher Fernandez. His opponent Friday night in a six-round bout is veteran Martin Tucker (7-8, 3 KOs), who was the third different fighter to accepted the fight against the gifted Casal. Tucker has been somewhat of a gatekeeper for the 147-pound division having fought top prospects such as undefeated Sharif Bogere (19-0, 2 KOs) and Ivan Popoca (15-0-1, 10 KOs), and he also upset previously unbeaten Michael Torres (13-0).

In 2004, Casal turned pro and he was unbeaten in his first 17 pro bouts, including a pair of draws. Nick extended current WBC Silver champion Antonio “Tony” DeMarco, former WBC Interim light titlist, the full 10 rounds in 2002 in a losing effort (94-96, 93-93, 97-93) that still demonstrated his vast potential.

The 23-year-old Serrano (8-0-1, 4 KOs) was born in Puerto Rico, but she now lives and fights out of Brooklyn. The slick-boxing younger sister of former lightweight contender, Cindy Serrano, faces former IWBF champion Ela “Bam Bam” Nunez (9-8, 2 KOs) for the third time. They fought to a four-round draw in 2009, marking the lone blemish on Amanda’s pro record, and Serrano won a six-round decision (59-55, 59-55, 58-56) this past January. Their trilogy fight is scheduled for six rounds.

NEW YORK / ATLANTIC CITY (April 20, 2011)—This Saturday night from Caesars in Atlantic City, former four-time world title challenger Omar Sheika will take on Garrett “The Ultimate Warrior” Wilson for the USBA Cruiserweight championship that will headline a seven bout that will be streamed live all over the world on www.gfl.tv

On March 26, 2010, Sheika and Wilson waged war in Hamilton, New Jersey when the huge underdog Wilson out worked and boxed beautifully over the first two-plus rounds and what many thought would be an easy victory for Sheika. With his back against the wall Sheika turned things around and hurt Wilson in round four. Being that cagey vet, Sheika seized the opportunity and finished Wilson off in round four.

Sheika has come up short against the best opposition in the world as he fought for versions of the Super Middleweight title on four occasions only to drop fights to Joe Calzaghe, Eric Lucas, Jeff Lacy and Markus Beyer. Sheika also dropped fights to Roy Jones and Adrian Diocanu.

With a win on Saturday, Sheika will be placed back in line to chase that elusive world title.

Wilson earned this bout on the strength of his last two bouts when he held Andreas Taylor (16-10 to a draw and his last bout when he shocked highly regarded Aaron Williams (20-2-1) in the seventh round.

Headlining the undercard will be one of the fastest rising Jr. Welterweights in the world in undefeated Ronald Cruz.

Cruz of Bethlehem, PA will take on rugged Manuel Guzman in a bout scheduled for eight rounds.

Cruz has a perfect mark of 11-0 with eight knockouts has exploded on the scene based on his last two bout as he stopped highly regarded prospect Jeremy Bryan in six rounds and his last bout he took out Dillet Frederick in three.

Guzman of Lancaster, PA will provide a stern test as he has never been stopped in his nineteen fight career which includes battles with Latif Mundy (3-0); former Contender contestant Aaron Torres; undefeated Bayan Jargal (5-0-1); undefeated knockout artist James Stevenson; and former U.S. Olympian Sadam Ali (10-0) with most of those bouts taking place at Welterweight or Jr. Middleweight

Guzman holds a win over then undefeated prospect Tommy Rainone (11-0)

Jennings, of Philadelphia has been tabbed as a Heavyweight to watch in the boxing’s inner circles, has a record of 6-0 with three knockouts and is stepping up the competition to face fellow Philly banger David Williams in a bout scheduled for six rounds.

-NOTE- The first Wilson – Sheika will air for FREE on www.gfl.tv beginning Thursday April 21 at 8pm and run through Saturday April 23

GFL now offers full access to over 5,000 fights for the low monthly price of $9.99

***GFL is a pioneer in Internet Sports Broadcasting. Over the years GFL has broadcast more than 850 live events with over 5,000 combat sports videos in 190 countries. GFL is especially proud to have served greater than 1.8 million public viewers last year with now over 150 combat sports related website affiliates in its network. GFL combat sports genres currently include Boxing, MMA and Professional Wrestling with plans to add more fight categories in 2011. GFL has expanded its programming to include: Daily News & Radio Shows with feature interviews and industry updates along with great Fight Photos, Fighter Videos and a robust Calendar of Upcoming Fight Events.

Main Events CEO, Kathy Duva, confirmed a May 20th junior middleweight bout featuring Joel Julio (36-4, 31KOs) vs. Antwone Smith (20-2-1, 12KOs). The fight will be the main event in the next installment of the Main Events Brick City Boxing Series, held in the intimate boxing club environment of Prudential Center's AmeriHealth Pavilion, Newark, New Jersey. The fight will be broadcast on ESPN 2, 9-11pm EST. The fight is promoted by Main Events in association with DiBella Entertainment. Local fighter favorites to be featured on the undercard include: Sadam "World Kid' Ali of Brooklyn, NY; Jose "Mangu" Peralta of Jersey City, NJ; Vinny O'Brien of East Hanover, NJ; and Tyrone Luckey of Middletown, NJ.

"Julio and Smith is a perfect fight to headline the next installment of the Brick City Boxing Series at Prudential's AmeriHealth Pavilion," said Duva."Two extremely popular fighters who are at a crossroads in their careers will meet in a significant bout that might very well determine both of their futures. The winner likely will go on to challenge for the world title in what has become a wide open welterweight division. A great deal is on the line and, as always, the fans can expect another great night of Brick City excitement and entertainment in the ring."

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

He was born into it. Grew up around and was engulfed in it. His job now has him working full-time in it, but this Friday night, Kevin Rooney Jr will experience a whole new side of professional boxing that he hasn't before. He will make his pro-debut on the undercard of Joe DeGuardia's Star Boxing ESPN "Friday Night Fights" card at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT. Headlining the show will be an intriguing ten round showdown between jr. welterweight prospects, "The Mongolian Mongoose" Bayan Jargal (15-1-3, 10KO's) and "Khanqueror" Breidis Prescott (23-2, 19KO's). Also featured on the card is 2008 US Olympian and highly regarded jr. middleweight prospect Demetrius Andrade (12-0, 8KO's) taking on once beaten Omar Bell (8-1, 5KO's).

Rooney Jr., is trained and managed by his father, Kevin Rooney Sr., who after having a very respectable professional boxing career of his own, took over the reins from Cus D' Amato and lead Mike Tyson to become the youngest heavyweight champion in boxing history. Rooney who worked under D'Amato's tutelage and began assisting him in his coaching duties when Tyson was still an amateur, took complete control over Tyson, when D'Amato passed away in November of 1985. At the time Tyson was 11-0 as a pro. Before leaving Rooney, Tyson had amassed a perfect 35-0, 31KO's record, and was the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.

Rooney went on to work with a number fighters over the years, including most notably ring legend and five-time champion, Vinny Pazienza. Now his main focus has shifted to his son.

"I'm very excited about him turning pro, and watching him develop," stated Rooney Sr. (who calls Jr. K.C.) "He is learning in there, you can see he is trying to take what I teach him and tell him and use it in the ring, and that is a good thing. He is a smart fighter, and he is very dedicated and disciplined, he trains very hard. He also is very strong. I had him in with my pro cruiserweight, Nasi Hani. He is 5-0 as a pro and had almost 100 amateur fights. After they got done sparring I asked Nasi how he was, and he was very impressed, when I told him that he would be fighting at only jr. middleweight and middleweight he almost couldn't believe it."

"The thing though about KC that I like is he has balls, he has the 'fighter' mentality. That's how I was in the ring, that's how I want all my fighters to be. Anytime you step into that ring, whether its sparring or an actual fight, you have to be ready to go out there and say 'here I am let's go', and he has that. He has an exciting style and he gives it his all each and every time he steps into the ring, and that is going to make for a fun ride for all of us involved along the way."

For those who think Rooney Jr. turning pro is some publicity stunt (after all he is the PR guy for Joe DeGuardia's Star Boxing) Rooney Sr. says that's the farthest thing from the truth.

"KC began boxing when he was just 5-years-old. He was in the gym almost every day until he was 9 and then he stopped competing. He was very active growing up though and played almost every sport there was. In high school he would work out at my gym to stay in shape for baseball and football. Then a little over two years ago he tells me "Dad I want to give boxing another shot'. So I told him, go to the gym, start training get yourself into shape then do some sparring see how you feel. After about six months of sparring he said he wanted to turn pro, but I told him, have a few fights as amateur get some experience. So he competed in the NY Golden Gloves last year and made it to the quarter finals and got robbed by the kid who ended up winning the championship. I told him to give the gloves one more shot this year and, same story different year. But KC knows, and anyone who has seen him fight knows, he just doesn't have an amateur style. I truly believe he is going to do very well and turn a lot of heads as a pro. So for anyone who thinks that this is just some stunt, or that he picked up a pair of gloves the other day and said he wanted to be a boxer, they are wrong and are going to be very surprised when you see him in that ring. Fighting is in his blood. I guess his mother can blame me for that one," says Rooney with a chuckle.

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at 1 (800) 745-3000 or visiting www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets can also be purchased by calling the Star Boxing office at (718) 823-2000 or visiting www.starboxing.com. Tickets are also available for purchase at the Mohegan Sun Box Office. Tickets are priced at $80, $50 and $35.

NOTE:Due to the NBA playoffs ESPN3.com and ESPN Deportes will start their telecasts LIVE at 8PM, ESPN2 will re-air at 10:30 PM.

PHILADELPHIA (April 18, 2011)—On Saturday night April 30th at The James Shuler Memorial Gym in West Philadelphia, some of the top amateur fighters in Philadelphia will be on display as well as an exhibition featuring number-one ranked Light Heavyweight in the world Yusaf Mack will take place at the “Philadelphia Golden Gloves Remix”

Berto, who hurt his right hand in round and required medical attention, did not attend the press conference.

Here are post fight quotes from the participants:

Victor Ortiz, WBC Welterweight Champion: “Andre Berto – I know he’s not here – we both went through a great war; nothing but respect. It was a very exciting fight. He hits very hard. I have a head harder than a rock. I wonder what the headline will read: Victor doesn’t have….fill in the blank. It wasn’t a walk in the park but I got the goods.”

“I want to thank Manny Pacquiao for his words. We talked today and he said to stick to my plan, that I’m a very good fighter, and don’t take anybody’s negativity.”

“I saw Andre Berto as a champion. There’s no stopping Berto. I didn’t prepare to knockout Berto. I knew it would go the full distance. I pictured myself with two black eyes, but I would have the green belt.”

“There are a lot of great fighters at 147’; I’m completely done with 140. I’m going to take a vacation and then shoot for the big names. I don’t make a helluva lot. Why not shoot for the big ones?”

“Stuff happens. That was the past. Maidana still doesn’t have anything on me. That wasn’t my night. I fought with a broken wrist and the fight was stopped. They said I gave up, I didn’t give up. I didn’t fight kMorales. He’s a great guy but past his time and I strongly believe he beat Maidana. He wouldn’t give me a rematch but I’m the guy with no courage, no heart, no balls. But I’m the guy with the belt.”

“I didn’t see it as close. I knew I pulled off a victory. You see the new WBC Welterweight Champion.”

“I wasn’t expecting an easy fight. I expected a war. I studied him and he’s no joke. He knocked out some good guys but I saw the Luis Collazo fight. He (Collazo) was the first to beat him (Berto). I tip my hat to you.”

“It goes back to when I was young. I didn’t have anything when I was young. I raised my brother. I thought this was my dream. I wasn’t going to stand for anything less. I was moving up to 147 but knew I carried my power. For three months, every day at the gym, I would say the new champ.”

Lou DiBella, promoter of the show and Berto: “Berto can’t attend the press conference. Dr. Schwartz said he has a possible break of his right hand and possible concussion. He went to the hospital. We have no issues. Very, very close. No problems from our team. Victor Ortiz answered all of the questions about his heart. You know Victor Ortiz is a welterweight.”

“There were no losers when you out on a fight like this. I’m very proud to promote this fight.”

“Yesterday would have been the 39th birthday of Arturo Gatti. Arturo Gatti would have been very pleased of the fight tonight.”

Richard Schaeffer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions and Ortiz’s promoter: “We’ve been waiting for a guy to bring excitement back to boxing and Victor Ortiz did that tonight.”

“We’re very proud of Victor Ortiz. He was attacked by some in the media. They questioned his heart and the will to go to war. He proved he has heart and the will to win, against an undefeated guy like Berto and gave him no chance.”

“You saw one of the best welterweight fights in years. Definitely all fight fans would to see it again. There are a lot of opportunities for Victor at 147 bit we’ll sit down and get this fight made again.”

"Vicious" Victor Ortiz (29-2-2, 22 KO's) defeated Andre Berto (27-1, 21 KO's) by a twelve-round unanimous decision, capturing the WBC welterweight title in what could become the 'Fight of the Year' for 2011. Official scores were 115-110, 114-112 and 114-111.

Entering the bout, both fighters were heavily questioned by the media about their overall star-potential in the sport. After quitting against Marcos Maidana in 2009, Ortiz was believed to lack the heart and courage of a true fighter. On the other hand, there were questions about Berto's chin: Could he take a solid punch? Ortiz and Berto answered and silenced their critics at Foxwoods tonight, letting everything they had deep inside of them come out in the ring.

During round one, it appeared that Ortiz floored Berto with a grazing left-hand shot that landed just behind the Miami native's right ear. However, referee Mike Ortega incorrectly ruled it a slip. Even if a fighter slips, such as Berto did according to Ortega, if a punch lands on a fighter that is falling, the correct ruling would be a knockdown. In this case, Ortiz' punch caused Berto to fall. Moments later, Ortiz would get an official knockdown scored.

Ortiz staggered Berto with a powerful right hook, and followed it up with a straight left - right uppercut combination, dropping Berto to one knee in the corner. After that, Berto was not quite the same fighter; He never fully recovered, displaying shaky legs numerous times throughout the course of the fight.

In round two, Berto answered back, firing and connecting with a counter-right cross, flooring Ortiz. Yet, Ortiz, 24, was not really hurt, as his right glove prevented his back from touching the canvas as he fell. Ortiz regained his composure, holding his own the last twenty seconds of the round. Before the knockdown, Ortiz was beating Berto to the punch and controlling the round, as the 27-year-old's legs looked wobbly.

Ortiz rocked Berto during round three with consecutive straight lefts in the second half of the round. Early on, Ortiz stunned Berto with a devastating left uppercut.

Berto opened round four by precisely landing a flush right cross to Ortiz' chin. Once again, Ortiz came right back, connecting with consecutive left-hand shots to Berto's head. Then, Ortiz pummeled Berto, leaving him with a bloody nose in his corner after the round.

After a close, competitive fifth round, Berto put Ortiz on the canvas with a crushing right cross. Ortiz' legs were unsteady, but Berto could not finish him. Next, a right hook and consecutive lefts to the head by Ortiz floored Berto, just before the bell rang to end the round.

From there, Ortiz beat up Berto in close quarters, fearlessly unleashing combinations and charging after him.

In round ten, Ortiz was deducted a point from referee Mike Ortega for hitting behind the head. Ortiz absorbed Berto's punches, and kept throwing more, showing a higher energy level.

After his back was pressed up against the ropes in round eleven, Berto looked as if he wished the fight was over. He was gassed from the relentless pressure applied by Ortiz.

Entering the twelfth round, Ortiz was not content to coast in the final three minutes; He only knew one way to finish - Go straight ahead and continue throwing punches until there is nothing left.

The courage, heart, and desire to win exhibited from both Ortiz and Berto was immeasurable. Still, Ortiz was simply the more complete fighter, proving the odds of being a 4-1 underdog were vastly inaccurate. While Berto hurt Ortiz at times, Ortiz landed harder and with greater accuracy.

Not to take away from Ortiz' victory, or to discredit Berto's performance in anyway, but Berto has been over-hyped by some in the media for a very long time. Berto has always shown trouble fighting in close quarters against elite fighters, usually electing to clinch after throwing power shots one-at-a-time. Berto has above average hand speed and efficient power, although he can be off-balance often with his enormously wide stance.

Did Berto underestimate Ortiz coming into the fight? Perhaps, but a fighter who knows how to fight on the inside with so much ferocity, as well as utilizing effective combination punching, such as Ortiz, will always give a one-dimensional fighter like Berto a great deal of trouble. If someone is going to defeat Ortiz again, it surely will not happen if that fighter only relies on his speed, agility and reflexes; One will need to have the complete package, and an added something that many critics thought Ortiz lacked - a ton of heart.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Amir "King" Khan (25-1, 17 KO's) won via sixth-round technical decision over Ireland's Paul "Dudey" McCloskey (22-1, 12 KO's), retaining his WBA junior welterweight title. Due to an accidental clash of heads in round six, the bout went to the scorecards where Khan received scores of 60-54 from all three judges. The victory marked Khan's 4th successful title defense since being kayoed in the first round by Bredeis Prescott on September 6, 2008. Now, Khan will look ahead to a potential unification fight with WBC/WBO junior welterweight champ Timothy Bradley (27-0, 11 KO's), which is tentatively scheduled for July 23rd.

Khan's lightning-quick hand speed, and the ability to swiftly move in and out, frustrated the slick 31-year-old southpaw. Khan utilized his left jab mostly as a rangefinder throughout the fight. His jab enabled him to setup a fierce body attack to slow McCloskey, who was hurt a few times in the middle rounds by Khan's right-hand shots.

In round six, Khan stepped forward while unleashing a straight right and clashed heads with McCloskey. The accidental headbutt left a deep gash above McCloskey's left eye. After the ringside doctor examined McCloskey, he deemed him unable to continue.

Prior to his bout with Khan, McCloskey had stopped his last five opponents despite having only twelve career knockouts.

LAS VEGAS (April 14, 2011) – WBA/IBA Light Heavyweight Champion Beibut Shumenov (11-1, 7 KOs) remains fully prepared to continue his history-making journey to unify the light heavyweight titles before the end of 2011 with one of the other 175-pound division world champions.

Shumenov’s dream suffered a setback in January when WBO titlist Juergen Braehmer pulled out of their unification title fight only a few days before their scheduled showdown in Kazakhstan. In only his 12th pro fight, Beibut was supposed to fight Braehmer (36-2, 29 KOs) in a world unification match, breaking what is believed to be the record for fewest fights in a major unification bout in which both featured fighters were world champions. The mark held by WBA cruiserweight king Evander Holyfield, who set the mark in his 15th pro fight against IBF champ Ricky Parky in 1987, is still within Shumenov’s striking range.

Shumenov, the 2004 Kazakhstan Olympian, has been on an unprecedented, accelerated pace since his pro debut only 3 1/2 years ago, defeating two world champions in his first eight bouts, Montell Griffin and Byron Mitchell. A year ago, Shumenov established the mark for fewest pro fights needed to capture a major World light heavyweight title, defeating Gabriel Campillo by decision for the WBA crown in his 10th bout, breaking the record of 15 set by Jeff “Hit Man” Harding in 1989.

“I don’t think about records,” Shumenov said. “I just want the challenge of fighting the best to become the undisputed light heavyweight champion of the world in order to be considered the best. I have a lot more to accomplish in my career to even be mentioned in the same conversation as a future Hall of Famer like Evander Holyfield.

“I chose to fight Braehmer to unify the light heavyweight division, but he pulled out, refusing to be examined by the Kazakhstan Boxing Commission doctor, and breaching his contract. I put Braehmer in the rear view mirror and got right back on track successfully defending my titles against William Joppy, who I applauded for accepting the fight on such late notice. Now, I’m fully focused on collecting the other world light heavyweight titles.”

Joppy became the fourth world champion Shumenov has defeated in his relatively young pro career. Beibut also joined fellow world champion, Lucian Bute, and former superstar Felix Trinidad as the only fighters to knockout Joppy, when Shumenov floored his experienced opponent in the fifth and then finished him off with a vicious left hook to the body in the following round.

“My goal is to unify the light heavyweight division,” Shumenov repeated. “I want to fight the other world champions and I’ll be watching their upcoming world light heavyweight title fights with great interest. I’m trying to learn everything so I can be the best.”

“Beibut is a very special individual who has defied boxing logic since the very beginning of his career,” Shumenov’s head trainer Kevin Barry noted. “He has been instrumental in helping to develop the careers of Gayrat, Ravshan and Alexandr as a leader for them to follow. Beibut sets the standard and they try and keep up with him. Beibut Shumenov is priceless.”

On Friday, April 22nd, at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT, Joe DeGuardia's Star Boxing will present that weeks ESPN "Friday Night Fights". Headlining the card is "The Mongolian Mongoose" Bayan Jargal (15-1-3, 10KO's) squaring off against the "Khanqueror" Breidis Prescott (23-2, 19KO's) in a ten round jr. welterweight showdown. Also featured on the card will be 2008 US Olympian, and highly regarded undefeated jr. middleweight prospect, Demetrius Andrade (12-0, 8KO's) taking on once beaten Omar Bell (8-1, 5KO's). If the two featured ESPN bouts aren't intriguing enough for you, Star Boxing's Publicist, Kevin Rooney, Jr. will be making his pro-debut on the undercard.

The 26-year-old Rooney Jr., who graduated from Fordham University in the Bronx in 2007 and has been working for Star full-time since the summer of 2008, is trained and managed by his father, Mike Tyson's former trainer, Kevin Rooney Sr. After beginning boxing at just five years old, Rooney Jr. stepped away from the sport before coming back to it and returning to training after he came on board with Star.

"I always had the itch to get back into it, but when I started working for Joe (DeGuardia) and Star is when I really started to seriously think about it," says Rooney Jr. "I started training and took it one step at a time and now I am ready to take the next step."

While the typical fight night is a bit hectic for Rooney Jr. who handles all of the Public Relations, as well as many of the event coordination duties for Star, the April 22nd show will have him undoubtedly a bit more busy.

"Luckily for me my father's accent is Staten Island, Joe's is the Bronx, so I shouldn't get the two confused when I'm getting orders from both throughout the night," says Rooney with a laugh.

"He better end his fight quickly and be in and out of that dressing room before the next fight starts or we will have a real problem," jokes DeGuardia, CEO and President of Star Boxing, a former boxer himself. "All jokes aside, we couldn't be happier than to have Kevin make his debut on one of our cards. Working for Star, and the relationship we have built together the last three years it's only fitting."

"For those who haven't seen Kevin fight before, he has ability," adds DeGuardia. "I think a lot of people are going to be surprised when they see him in the ring. We are excited to see how far he can go with it. Besides the fact that he has his father's name and his father behind him, he is good looking Irish kid, with an exciting style, fighting out of New York. We are looking forward to start bringing in the Irish fan base, which is known to come out in armies to support their Irish fighters."

"I'm very excited for the opportunity to have my debut on one of Joe's cards," says Rooney. "Not a lot of people get to ever fight on such a high profile card, let alone make their pro-debut on it, so I couldn't be more thankful. I have been thinking about this day for a very long-time, and finally it's almost here. I have a lot of people coming out to show their support and I don't plan on letting them down."

Regarding his future in the sport, Rooney is optimistic.

"I'm working really hard every day in the gym. I feel myself maturing and improving each and every day. There are things that I obviously need to work on, but that's the great thing about this sport, you are always learning something new. While I might not have the biggest amateur background (Rooney Jr. had approximately 12 fights total from when he started as a young kid till now) I feel that I have one of the best trainers in the entire world in my father, and as long as I keep listening to him and keep working hard, the sky's the limit."

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at 1 (800) 745-3000 or visiting www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets can also be purchased by calling the Star Boxing office at (718) 823-2000 or visiting www.starboxing.com. Tickets are also available for purchase at the Mohegan Sun Box Office. Tickets are priced at $80, $50 and $35. ESPN will begin live coverage of the event starting at 8PM ET.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

NEW YORK (April 13, 2011) – New York State welterweight champion Daniel “The Hudson Valley Kid” Sostre extended his unbeaten streak to 10 after fighting to an eight-round draw last Thursday with hometown favorite Damian “Divo” Frias in Miami.

Sostre (11-3-1, 4 KOs), the newest member of Boxing 360’s growing stable of fighters, took the fight on late notice and fought WBC FECARBOX light welterweight champion Frias (16-4-1, 7 KOs) in his backyard. It marked Sostre’s first fight in 12 months and the Puerto Rico native, now living in Manhattan, hasn’t lost in four years.

“I’ve known him for a long time,” Boxing 360 Director of Boxing Bob Duffy talked about Sostre. “He spoke to us about promoting him and we worked out a deal. Fighting a draw on last minute notice against a hometown fighter, considering he hadn’t fought in a year, was a big positive. He always gives his best and never says no to a challenge. He’s defended his NY State title three times. He wants to prove that, with time to train properly, he belongs with anybody in his division.”

Sostre captured the NY State title in 2009 via a majority eight-round decision against Mike Ruiz, followed by successful title defenses against Tommy Rainone (DEC8), Frank Houghtaling (TKO6) and Jay Krupp (DEC8).

GREENSBORO / NEW YORK (April 12, 2011)—This Saturday night from the Greensboro Coliseum a night of championship boxing will take place

In the main event, undefeated popular Light Heavyweight Scott “Cujo” Sigmon takes on Tiwon Taylor in a ten round bout for the UNBC America’s Light Heavyweight title.

To order this championship night of boxing for just $9.99, click: http://www.gfl.tv/Events/Fight/Boxing/Saturday_Night_KO_Fights_3_Future_World_Champions/1013

The action begins at 8pm eastern time.

Sigmon of Bedford, Virginia has a record of 15-2 with seven knockouts and has a great fan base in the Virginia area.

Sigmon is riding a seven bout winning streak and has defeated the likes of Abdul Gillard (2-0); Frankie Filipone (2-0); Toris Brewer (14-2); Julius Kennedy (7-1) and his last fight he scored a 4th round stoppage over John Michael Terry.

Taylor is a veteran who has been in with the “whose-who” of the Light Heavyweight divisions.

The native of Las Vegas has a record of 26-19-1 with nineteen knockouts and has been in the ring with Jerry Ballard (18-1); Saul Montana (31-6); Former world champion Fabrice Tiozzo (42-2); Elvir Muriqi (25-1); Former world champion Adrian Diocanu (12-0); Daniel Judah (18-0-2); Former world champion Lou Del Valle (31-3-1); Max Alexander (8-0-1); Omar Sheika (26-8); Joe Spina (24-1); Yathomas Riley (6-0); Alfonso Lopez (17-0) and his last bout with Dyah Davis (17-1);

In a six round co-feature, undefeated middleweight and exciting knockout artist Jonathan Cepeda of West Palm Beach, FL taking on Brad Austin.

Cepeda has built a reputation for his knockout prowess in Florida and will be looking for his eighth consecutive stoppage. He is coming off a 2nd round stoppage over Rafael Gonzalez on April 1st.

Austin of Johnson City, Tennessee has a record of 8-10 with five knockouts and because of his ring experience should be a test for Cepeda.

On Friday April 22nd, 2007 Amateur World Champion and 2008 US Olympian, Demetrius Andrade (12-0, 8KO's) will look to take another step up the jr. middleweight ranks when he opens up that evening's ESPN "Friday Night Fights" telecast against arguably his toughest opponent to date, once beaten, Omar Bell (8-1, 5KO's) at Mohegan Sun, in Uncasville, CT. Headlining the show, which is promoted by Joe DeGuardia's Star Boxing, will be an intriguing ten round match-up between exciting jr. welterweights, Bayan "The Mongolian Mongoose" Jargal (15-1-3, 10KO's) and "Khanqueror" Breidis Prescott (23-2, 19KO's).

"This will be his (Demetrius) fourth time fighting at Mohegan Sun and already his seventh time fighting on ESPN since turning pro. He's received great exposure on the national level, and I am also pleased that we have been able to showcase him right at home here for his fans on the east coast," stated Joe DeGuardia, CEO of Star Boxing and co-promoter of Andrade with Banner Promotions. "Demetrius is moving along well and has a very bright future ahead of him . This will be his third scheduled eight rounder and by the year's end we expect him to be moving up to ten-rounders and distancing himself from the other top 154 pounders in the world."

Andrade, who skills, which include lightening fast hand speed, and power in both hands to accompany a stellar defensive game, has had boxing insiders talking about him ever since he turned pro in late 2008. While Andrade has been impressive each and every time out, there have been some in the boxing world that believe Andrade hasn't been matched tough enough to this point in his career, something that DeGuardia disputes.

"Look at the opponents he has faced thus far in his career. He has beaten three undefeated guys and three more with just one loss on their records. Only two of them have had losing records, and it's not as though they were 2-64, one guy was 0-1 who Demetrius fought in his second fight, and the other was 11-12. Is it his fault that he beats these guys as easily as he does? People forget that Demetrius is still only 23-years-old. He has a very long and prosperous career ahead of him, and his competition is better than those fed to most other prospects."

Interestingly, Andrade holds a six round unanimous decision over Chris Chatman, who was 4-0 when he met up with Andrade in October of 2009. Since that loss to Andrade, Chatman has reeled off five wins, including two against unbeaten prospects, Alberto Herrera (7-0) and Lester Gonzalez (11-0). In his last bout, Chatman held highly regarded prospect and 2007 US Amateur Champion, Charles Hatley (14-0, 11KO's) to an eight round majority draw.

After suffering the lone defeat of his career in 2008 against fellow highly regarded prospect Keith Thurman (15-0, 14KO's), Bell returned in 2010 and picked up two victories, including a six round shut-out in his last fight against previously undefeated Quinton Willis. Originally from the Island of Jamaica, Bell now calls Georgia home.

First bout is scheduled for 7:30PM. Andrade-Bell is scheduled for eight round sin the jr. middleweight division and will go live on ESPN2 at 8PM ET. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at 1 (800) 745-3000 or visiting www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets can also be purchased by calling the Star Boxing office at (718) 823-2000 or visiting www.starboxing.com. Tickets are also available for purchase at the Mohegan Sun Box Office. Tickets are priced at $80, $50 and $35. ESPN will begin live coverage of the event starting at 8PM ET.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Joe DeGuardia's Star Boxing will bring exciting live professional boxing back on a regular basis to the historic Paradise Theater starting on Thursday May 5th, entitled "Cinco De Mayo Fight Night".

"I'm thrilled to get the Punchin at the Paradise series up and running on a regular basis. There is nothing more enjoyable to me then to be able to produce quality boxing events right here in the Bronx," stated DeGuardia, who was born and raised in the Bronx, and has run his successful law firm and Star Boxing out of the borough since 1992. "We have five dates locked in already. We plan to get things started with a bang with our Cinco De Mayo show, which will feature some of the most exciting up and coming Latino prospects in boxing, including at least two who call the Bronx their home. The "Punchin at the Paradise" series has produced some of the most exciting shows in New York in the past few years, and we feel with what we have lined up for the rest of this year, the best is still yet to come!"

While "Cinco De Mayo Fight Night" will mark the eleventh show of Star Boxing's popular, "Punchin at the Paradise" fights, it is the first time that dates are pre-set and identified for the year. With the reputation of exciting thrilling fights already established from the previous shows, DeGuardia looks to further build of the series success, something he believes starts by having the dates for the rest of the year already locked in.

"Anytime we did a show, people were always saying how they couldn't wait for the next one, and to send them info immediately on the show as soon as we knew when it would be. Now everyone knows when the dates will be, so it will help us further be able to market and build the series into what we know it has the potential to be, one of the most popular boxing series on the entire East Coast. In addition to benefiting the fans, the boxers will also know our dates and can plan accordingly. It is a win-win for everyone."

Below are the scheduled dates for the 2011 Paradise Series:

1. Thursday May 5th

2. Thursday July 7th

3. Thursday Ocotber 6th

4. Thursday December 1st

5. Open date - roaming date for TV

Tickets are priced at $30, $50 and $100 and can be purchased by calling the Star Boxing office at 718 823-2000, visiting www.starboxing.com or simply by CLICKING HERE:

Tickets, priced at $300, $150, $100, and $50, can be purchased through the Boardwalk Hall ticket office and Ticketmaster. Tickets can be purchased online at http://www.ticketmaster.com/, by phone at 1-800-745-3000, at any Ticketmaster retail outlet or in person at Boardwalk Hall box office.

“The Super Six is all about exciting fights, and no one brings the excitement like Glen Johnson and Carl Froch,” said Lou DiBella. “No fight fan will forget being in the building for this event.”

Froch vs. Johnson, The Super Six World Boxing Classic semifinal, is presented by DiBella Entertainment and Warriors Boxing, in association with Caesar’s Atlantic City. The bout will be televised live on SHOWTIME Championship Boxing.

For information about DiBella Entertainment, including a list of all upcoming bouts, please visit www.dbe1.com, or follow Lou DiBella on twitter, @loudibella.

NEW YORK (April 11, 2011) – A year ago, undefeated prospect Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin packed his bags and headed West, moving from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in what can only be described as a culture shock experience.

Quillin, who was rated as high as No. 5 by the IBF before a series of unfortunate circumstances (broken hand, hairline fracture of eye socket and emergency appendectomy) shelved him for 18 months, is now handled by multiple Trainer of the Year, Freddie Roach, at his famed Wild Card Gym.

“I moved to LA for my boxing career and it’s made a huge difference,” the personable son of a Cuban father and African-American mother said. “Quality sparring is the big difference. Anytime you’re in Wild Card you could end-up sparring with world champions, former champions or up-and-comers. I’ve sparred with Gennady Golovkin (WBA middleweight champion), Julio Chavez Jr. (WBC middleweight title challenger), Mathew Macklin (European middleweight champion), Craig McEwan and others.

“You always pick up new things training here. Whether he’s there three hours, three days or three months, Freddie is the guy! Even when he’s away, Freddie is on top of everything, either from talking to his assistants or watching video tape. Freddie’s always watching you. I’ve already shown more knockout power since I’ve been training with him. I know my last two fights may have been against lesser quality guys, but I knocked them both out, setting things up with my jab and having more confidence in my punching power.”

The 27-year-old Quillin (23-0, 17 KOs), born in Chicago and raised in Grand Rapids (MI), also signed an exclusive promotional contract with Golden Boy Promotions. Now he’s on the verge of his most significant career fight April 29 in Reno, Nevada, headlining a show airing on Telefutura against former world title challenger Jessie Brinkley (35-6, 22 KOs), in a 10-round bout for the vacant USBO super middleweight title.

“Golden Boy gets you out there,” Quillin explained his reason for signing with GBP. “Everybody in boxing knows who you are because you’re in Golden Boy’s stable. They told me that they’re high on me and will try and make me a star. Thank God, I made this change for my career. I was sitting around in New York, nothing happen for me back there.

“2009 was a bad year for me, first with hand surgery that kept me out of action for three or four months, and then I was hurt sparring with world cruiserweight champion Guillermo Jones, who must have weighed about 245 pounds. I had sparred with him before for a few of his fights, it wasn’t unusual for me, and he gave me credit when he won his world title. I overcame that injury (hairline fracture eye) and then, two weeks before my fight, I was eating and my stomach felt funny. I was rushed to the hospital and had an emergency appendectomy. I came back (Feb. 6, 2010) against (Fernando) Zuniga and won (10 DEC) but was rusty.”

Two months later, “Kid Chocolate” hit the road and headed west and now, the fighter who is known for tossing candy kisses into the crowd after each of his fights is starting to make history of his own.

"I want to acknowledge everyone who came to see this fight. I'm a good fighter. I fight for the people of Tijuana.

"I think he [Maidana] may have won a close fight, but not a clean win. I think that I won the fight because I landed the better punches.

"[I thought I could beat him]because I have a lot of speed. I have also have dignity and heart.

"I want a rematch. I thought I won. I'm better than him.

"I finished the fight with my heart. Long live Mexico!"

Marcos Maidana, WBA Interim Super Lightweight Champion

"I am very happy to have won the title.

"We knew that Erik Morales was a great warrior and he was going to give a great fight. I never thought it was going to be an easy fight. I was expecting a war and that is exactly what happened.

"I was staying positive and trying to catch him with the counter [punch]. I was never tired.

"I would like the rematch, but there are other fighters in the division I would want to fight as well.

"It surprised me that he was able to take those punches. He was very difficult to knock out. In order to knock him out, you need a stick or a hammer or something.

"I like when fighters stand in front of me and are brave.

"Morales is a good fighter and a strong fighter. He can continue his career because he'll do well.

"I really did find this [fight] close, but I came out as the winner at the end."

Robert Guerrero, WBA & WBO Interim Lightweight Champion

"I had a great camp coming out and training in Las Vegas. This was the first time training away in a long time and it prepared me well. Now that I am able to go out to a training camp, I can learn a lot more.

"I felt great out there. I won two titles tonight.

"I'm a warrior. Sometimes you have to beat the guy at his own game. I got in there and I worked my jabs and punches.

"I was never hurt in the fight.

"One of the main things [I did] was keep the speed up and fire off shots.

"I'm ready for anyone. I want a shot at Marquez, the winner of the main event [Maidana], Zab Judah at 140 or Mayweather. Bring them all, I'll take the best.

"I wasn't shocked at all by the point deductions. The referee gave strict instructions before the fight. He said he wasn't going to mess around, so it wasn't a surprise. He did a great job.

"He [Katsidis] got in more than two low blows, but you just have to keep going.

"He [Katsidis] is the toughest guy I've ever fought.

"You haven't seen the best of Robert Guerrero yet."

James Kirkland, Junior Middleweight Contender

"I don't know why they stopped the fight. There is not a three knockdown rule in Vegas.

"I'm really upset right now. That was a messed up call. I was telling him I wanted to keep fighting. He [Ishida] wasn't anything. He had no power. This was messed up."

Nobuhiro Ishida, Former World Champion

"Thank you very much. It was an amazing opportunity to fight in Las Vegas and we appreciate it.

"As you know, Japan had a very big earthquake. It makes me happy and proud to come to the United States and win for my country.

"He [Kirkland] didn't expect this from me. He didn't respect what we had. Kirkland kept coming forward at me and so I kept going with my right, my right, my right and it worked. I had my country on my side and now I'm ready for a world title shot."

Paulie Malignaggi, Former World Champion

"It really felt good to be back in the spotlight and get a good 'W.'

"I feel great that I got to go 10 rounds against a good fighter. My last fight ended quickly, so this is what I wanted.

"I want to thank Golden Boy because a year after my Khan fight everyone thought I was done, and now I came out and won a big fight on a major network.

"I thought I fought smart and executed a good game plan. For anyone who wants to complain about how I don't step up to the plate and pick up the pace, I want you to know that I am tired of that shit.

"I look forward to the future and I believe it is still bright for me."

Oscar De La Hoya, President of Golden Boy Promotions

"I was telling everybody that you can never count out Erik Morales. I said to everyone 'Look at what happened to Kelly Pavlik and Bernard Hopkins. Look at what happened to Manny Pacquiao and Oscar de la Hoya.'

"Every single fight was a beautiful fight. Why don't we do a rematch of the whole card?

"This is what pay-per-view is all about. Giving fans exciting fights all the time."

Grano improved his record to 18-2-1 (14 KOs) with a sixth round technical knockout of crafty veteran “Diamond” Dominique Alexander (20-11-1, 10 KOs). Grano dropped Alexander three times in the final round.

“I am impressed by his durability,” Grano said after the fight. “I caught him with a lot of clean shots early. He’s a lot more durable than I thought. I hit him right on the button. It was a good experience for me. He gave me six rounds and I needed to be back in the ring. Surprisingly, he took my best shots. I didn’t think he had a good chin. I want to fight again very soon. I’m in great shape. I want to keep busy. I hope to fight again in May or June.”

In the co-feature, Meriden bantamweight prospect Danny Aquino (6-1, 2 KOs) turned in a very impressive performance, effectively working the body and then going upstairs to stop James Owens (4-3, 2 KOs) at 2:12 of the opening round. Aquino hurt Owens with a powerful left hook, trapping him on the ropes, and then unloading a barrage of punishing punches until referee Danny Schiavone signaled that the fight was over.

Fan friendly East Hartford super featherweight Joseph “Chip” Perez’ unbeaten win streak ended at five when he was disqualified for hitting undefeated Esteban Nichol, who had been decked and was on one knee as the referee counted.

Philadelphia light weight Frank Trader (8-0) kept his undefeated record intact, winning all six rounds en route to a unanimous decision victory against a game Tommy Atencio.

Welterweight Shakha Moore won his first fight in nearly four years by way of a technical decision against Noel Garcia. The scheduled six-round bout was halted after four due to damages resulting from accidental head-butts by both fighters.

Ian Cannon, an 18-year-old college student, was matched with former New England Golden Gloves champion Luis Reynoso, of Springfield (MA), in a wheelchair boxing exhibition (three, one minute-rounds) under amateur boxing rules (headgear, large gloves, etc.). Cannon, of Glastonbury (CT), suffers from cerebral palsy but he trains regularly at Lion’s Den Connecticut in Middletown, where he has created a wheelchair boxing program, Rollin With The Punches

Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra proclaimed Saturday, April 9, 2011 as Willie Pep Day in a special ceremony, in which the late Pep’s son, Billy, represented the family.

Friday, April 8, 2011

It’s pretty safe to say that the Combat Sports Industry is growing faster than ever; or one could say – “The sport is growing at an unprecedented rate.” With the industry moving so fast, combat sports industry stakeholders are challenged to keep pace. GFL has embraced the challenge and is not only keeping pace; they are establishing the pulse for combat sports video content production and delivery.

Last weekend GFL successfully produced and broadcast their first and second live HD event with “Ring of Honor” on the GFL Roku channel setting precedent for making combat sports programming accessible on practically any TV set. And speaking of pace, last weekend alone fans were given access to 10 more great live events via GFL Combat Sports Network. GFL also launched on Droid Mobile and booked their 1000 event scheduled in April, 2011.

“GFL will strive to maintain pace with what’s happening in other sports and entertainment industries. It’s a very serious commitment we have made to our sport, our business clients and most importantly to our fans.”~David Klarman - CEO Go Fight Net Inc.

- GFL is a pioneer in Internet Sports Broadcasting. Over the years GFL has broadcast more than 900 live events with over 4500 combat sports videos in 190 countries. GFL is especially proud to have served greater than 1.8 million public viewers last year with now over 150 combat sports related website affiliates in its network.

-GFL combat sports genres currently include Boxing, MMA and Professional Wrestling with plans to add more fight categories in 2011. GFL has expanded its programming to include: Daily News & Radio Shows with feature interviews and industry updates along with great Fight Photos, Fighter Videos and a robust Calendar of Upcoming Fight Events.

NEW YORK (April 8, 2011) – An opportunity to compete for the inaugural Super Six World Boxing Classic Cup will be on the line when Carl “The Cobra” Froch (27-1, 20 KOs) defends his World Boxing Council (WBC) super middleweight title against former world champion Glen “The Road Warrior” Johnson (51-14-2, 35 KOs) of Miami, Fla., in the last Semifinal of the Super Six World Boxing Classic on Saturday, June 4, live on SHOWTIME® (9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) from Adrian Philipps Ballroom of Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall.

The Froch-Johnson winner will advance to the Final against the victor of the May 14 Semifinal between World Boxing Association (WBA) champion Andre Ward (23-0, 13 KOs) of Oakland, Calif., and former world champion Arthur Abraham (32-2, 26 KOs), of Berlin, Germany, by way of Armenia. Ward-Abraham will be shown live on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) from The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.

In his last start on Nov. 27, 2010, the 33-year-old Froch, of Nottingham, England, manufactured perhaps a career-best performance, recapturing the then-vacant WBC 168-pound crown with a one-sided 12-round decision over Abraham in the final Group Stage 3 bout from Helsinki, Finland. There were no knockdowns but Froch dominated en route to tallying up the lopsided scores of 120-108 twice and 119-109.

Froch is 2-1 in the Super Six. In addition to dismantling Abraham, he won a split decision over Andre Dirrell in Group Stage 1 and lost a tight decision – along with the WBC title – to Mikkel Kessler in back-and-forth Fight of the Year candidate in Group Stage 2.

The Jamaican-born Johnson, a tournament replacement for the injured Mikkel Kessler, advanced with an eighth-round knockout over Allan Green in a Group Stage 3 fight on Nov. 6, 2010, in Las Vegas.

Johnson, 42, a former world light heavyweight champion who was making his first start at 168 pounds in 10 years, was ahead by three points on one of the scorecards and behind by one on the others when a left hook to the body followed by an overhand right to the side of head finished Green at 0:36 in the eighth.

Following Group Stage 3, Froch called Johnson an “old wise fox” and said he expected nothing less than a strong performance from a “great” fighter like Johnson.

"Glen Johnson is a blue-collar fighter who always gives his best and is a gentleman outside of the ring,” said Froch. “He commands respect and I give him respect.”

And the respect is mutual. Johnson offered, “The guy is a two-time champion. You do it once then you can say maybe it’s a little luck but to do it twice you know he deserved it. I have tremendous respect for Carl Froch.”

But the kind words will cease when the bell rings for what should be a fiercely contested 12-round affair. Johnson said of Froch, “I know he has a few weaknesses and I have every intention of exploiting those. I really feel like I’m the favorite right now. I just have to take it one fight at a time.”

Froch added, "I don't just plan on beating him, but I plan on halting him in style. Our styles gel very well for a competitive battle for as long as it lasts and I'm looking forward to it. I have a date in the final of the Super Six and I won't be overlooking Johnson in any shape or form – which will spell bad news for Glen.

"It will be another win for the Cobra, maybe by stoppage as I plan on making another big statement for the SHOWTIME fans."

Both fighters hold the tournament in high regard and covet the value of emerging victorious. Froch opined, “I could win this tournament and retire – that’s what it means. I can win this and say, ‘You know what? I’ve done it. I don’t need to fight anymore.’ I wouldn’t do that – I’ve got a couple of years left in me and there’s some big fights out there for me – but that’s how big this tournament is.”

Johnson recalled, “I know when this [tournament] was first put together I remember thinking to myself, ‘Man, I wish I was a super middleweight.’ But I’m in right now and I’m here to win the entire tournament. I believe I’m in it for a reason and that’s to win it.”

“Glen Johnson and Carl Froch are two of the most fan friendly fighters in boxing, said promoter Lou DiBella. “Both are proven winners who have earned fans the ole fashioned way, by entertaining fans fight after fight. Glen is known as ‘The Road Warrior’ because he isn’t afraid to go to someone else’s turf for a big fight, and Carl’s biggest wins have come outside the UK. Everyone knows that both men will leave it all in the ring in Atlantic City for the right to advance to the Super Six final.”

The event is promoted by DiBella Entertainment, Warriors Boxing and Carl Froch.

For more information on the Super Six World Boxing Classic including exclusive photos, fight highlights and interviews, plus to view all episodes of the acclaimed documentary series FIGHT CAMP 360°: Inside The Super Six World Boxing Classic, please visit the website at www.WorldBoxingClassic.com.

ABOUT SUPER SIX WORLD BOXING CLASSIC

The inaugural Super Six World Boxing Classic is a ground-breaking, six-fighter tournament from SHOWTIME Sports® featuring the class of the super middleweight (168-pound) division from around the world. All bouts in the Super Six tournament will be contested under the Unified Rules of Boxing. Each boxer fights three bouts against different opponents in the field in the points-based Group Stage of competition (Win – 2 pts with a 1-pt bonus for KO/TKO; Loss – 0 pts; Draw – 1 pt.). After the Group Stage, the four fighters with the highest point totals will advance to the single-elimination SemiFinals. The winners of the Semifinal bouts will advance to the Finals and fight for the inaugural Super Six World Boxing Classic Cup.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Gelf's Varsity Letters sports reading series returns on Thursday, April 7, at 7:30 p.m., at Manhattan's (Le) Poisson Rouge. At this free monthly event, hosted by Gelf, Thomas Hauser, George Kimball, and Gary Andrew Poole will read from and talk about their work. Veteran boxing writers Hauser and Kimball have new collections out with profiles of some of the ring's most colorful characters. And, Poole will discuss his biography of Manny Pacquiao.

Perez, who works for the Connecticut Department of Children & Family, was born and raised in Holyoke (MA). The 24-year-old former New England Golden Gloves champion recently has had, unfortunately, several scheduled fights fall through. His last action was back in November, a first-round knockout of Ronnie Peterson at Mohegan Sun. Saturday night he’s matched against Nichol in a four-round bout.

“I don’t know anything about my opponent other than he’s 2-0 and a former Golden Gloves champ from Colorado,” Perez said. “I trust my manager, Bret Hallenbeck, and I’m always ready to fight. My style depends on my opponent. I adjust to what my he does in the ring.

“Fighting at home is awesome. Mohegan Sun is in Connecticut but it’s a long distance (from Hartford) compared to the Connecticut Convention Center, which is only five minutes from my house. I was born and raised in Holyoke and I always have a lot of family and friends from there supporting me when I fight. They’ll be there for this fight, too, along with family, friends and co-workers from here (Hartford).”

Perez’ chief second is former world title contender “Iceman” John Scully, who trains numerous boxers at Lion’s Den Connecticut in Middletown. “He’s has been very exciting and dynamic so far in each of his five fights,” Scully commented. “He’s shown that he can box and punch, but he’s been most exciting for fans when he comes in with both guns blazing, letting go five and six punch combinations. He had more than 100 amateur bouts. He spars frequently with the likes of Matt Remillard and Mike Oliver and more than holds his own. If he stays on course, I think he will have a great future in the professional game.”

Remillard and Oliver are locally-based world-class boxers. “Sparring with them has been a great experience for me,” Perez noted, “going against guys who are such bigger names. I’ve learned how to adjust and adapt by working with these two world class fighters. I study Matt and Mike, as well as John, when they spar and try to remember what I saw when I’m in the ring. I’m learning what they’ve been through, in and out of the ring, and I often talk to them about boxing.”

There will be a special wheelchair boxing exhibition match wheelchair boxer Ian Cannon, an 18-year-old college student who faces former New England Golden Gloves champion Luis Reynoso, of Springfield (MA), in a three-round wheelchair boxing exhibition under amateur boxing rules (headgear, large gloves, etc.). The inspirational Cannon, of Glastonbury (CT), suffers from cerebral palsy but regularly trains at Lion’s Den Connecticut in Middletown, where he has developed a wheelchair boxing program, “Roll With The Punches.”

Tickets are priced at $100.00 (ringside), $80.00 (preferred seating), $60.00 (reserved) and $40.00 (general admission) and are available to purchase by calling 860.402.4838 or The Lion’s Den at 860.613.2394.

Willie Pep: Born Gugliermo Papaleo in 1922 in Middletown, CT. He was a 2-time world champion who retired in 1966 after a 26 year professional career with an amazing 229-11-1 (65 KOs) record. In 1990, Pep was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York. He died November 23, 2006 at the age of 84.